anodyna's Profile

This is a little late for Meg, but I just found the link to this article on how to caulk your tub or shower on Charles & Hudson: How to Caulk or Recaulk a Bathtub or Shower Enclosure. It's something I'm planning to do this summer, so I thought I'd post it for others who haven't gotten around to it yet.

(Meg, I did notice that he recommends letting the shower enclosure dry out for an extended period of time before recaulking, if there's been a repeated mildew problem.)

I'm not getting the disgruntlement over the price of this object. An artist made it, using technology that protects the environment, preserves precious resources, keeps glass out of the waste stream, and does it using a traditional handwork technique that requires skill and training. Retail prices are generally double the wholesale price, which means that Justin Parker et al. got paid about $79 for hours of time, equipment costs, all their overhead, marketing, studio space, utilities, office expenses, shipping, and on and on. The expenses involved in running any kind of business are so numerous and every one of them needs to be covered by the price of products. This isn't new information--it's just reality.

It's cheaper to buy products made in China, but I don't think anyone here needs it explained to them the corners that get cut in order to achieve that pricing. The point of this entry is that this is a green product, not that it's a bargain. If the most you're willing to pay for a handmade glass item is the wage of a skilled glassblower in an unsafe, toxic, coal-burning factory in a third-world country, there are lots of chain stores happy to sell you something on those terms. Go do it, but please don't complain at the same time because other companies are trying to produce products in a different way that happens to cost more.

We should be grateful that the existence of green companies benefits all of us, regardless of whether we buy from them. As long as they're in business, they're meeting some consumer demand in a clean, healthy way, and by doing so, also reducing the demand for unsustainable, polluting versions. How is that ever bad, or worthy of censure? Yes, we can't all afford every product, so we make green choices in simpler ways--but to tear down people who are trying to make a difference because you think they owe it to you to figure out a cheaper way to do it just seems small-minded and entitled.

I recommend Smith and Noble for the best variety of shade styles and materials--they have everything, from fabric to bamboo to those sheer blind things with the vanes inside, and the prices are very reasonable for custom blinds.

In choosing blinds, here's what I'd be thinking about: How can I get privacy at night without having to adjust 9 window treatments on a daily basis? Because you know you're going to get tired of doing that. For me the easy answer would be top-down shades--the kind that can be lowered from the top rather than just raised from the bottom. I'd get those in either a pale linen or a light matchstick bamboo (or ivory honeycomb for a less costly option), lower them to cover just the bottom half of the window, and then leave them alone 90% of the time.

Curtains are also a good option in that room, because there are a lot of angles there that some fabric would soften. If you decide to do a continuous drapery (def. the best curtain option with all those windows), I'd still be thinking about getting something you don't need to open and close all the time--something open enough to transmit light during the day but with enough substance to give privacy at night. Not a synthetic "sheer," but maybe a light linen or a wool gauze. A higher-end drapery shop or an interior designer can hook you up with some of the really nice semi-sheer fabrics being made for modern spaces.

Before I became so conscious of cutting down on the amount of disposable stuff I use, I tried the wet moppy swiffer thing, but between the grossly soaking cloths, the crap packaging that was near-impossible to reclose, and the too-short handle which had me stooping to use it, it was all way more trouble than it was worth. I did like the dry cloths for hand-dusting, but now I use microfiber dust cloths and I think they work better.

IMO, nothing's a substitute for a good vacuum cleaner if you don't have one. Swiffers are good for a quick once-over, but if you're using them to pick up huge dustballs and pet hair on a regular basis, it's probably time to upgrade your cleaning regimen a little.

I agree with fuzzball--cherry wood darkens with age and exposure to light. You'll see this if you ever have a new cherry table and leave objects on it in the same place for a while; there will be lighter areas in the shape of the objects when you move them. Once uncovered the areas gradually darken until you can't even tell they were there.

Since we got a Miele vacuum with a HEPA filter, I don't smell anything when I vacuum--which definitely makes me wonder what was coming out of our old vacuums that we could smell before. But if I were going to put something in my vacuum to improve the smell, I'd choose essential oil before anything powdered, because I can only assume that to scent the air a powder has to get into the air. With my allergies I'm all about less airborne stuff, no matter how good it smells!